HB2 is Set To Be Repealed in North Carolina!

A Christmas present may come early this year — HB2 is set to be repealed by the North Carolina legislature!

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory called for a special legislation session to be held on Wednesday to repeal HB2, also known as the “bathroom bill,” which prevented anti-discrimination legislation in cities throughout the state for LGBT individuals. It also didn’t allow trans persons to use the bathroom of their gender identity — in public or in schools.

The reason for this sudden change? Because Charlotte rescinded its LGBT protections city ordinance on Monday. It was Charlotte’s passage of LGBT protections that originally angered North Carolina’s legislature, prompting them to create HB2 to invalidate Charlotte’s ordinance.

Apparently, Charlotte’s move to repeal their city ordinance was one of strategy. Charlotte’s mayor Jennifer Roberts said that the repeal “should in no way be viewed as a compromise of our principles or commitment to non-discrimination,” but rather a means by which they could get HB2 repealed for the entire state. And with a new governor taking over for Pat McCrory — Roy Cooper, a supporter of LGBT rights — Roberts and Charlotte’s city council are hopeful for the future of LGBT rights in the state.

Cooper has indicated that he will push for statewide protections for LGBT individuals when he gets in office. Charlie Reece, a member of Durham City Council, predicts that once HB2 is repealed, cities all over the state will pass new nondiscrimination ordinances protecting sexual orientation and gender identity.